The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-04-14

gfOuOn HOOF, or 1TBl BLOTY, Is OcCuplbu
by primary and intermediate schools.
The second fl lOr, some of the rooms OF
which are not occupied, and others OF
which are flied with material better
fined tOr furnishing the upper story, is
devoted to high schools. The third
story, in process of completion, contains
our colleges. From the windows Of
story may seen the rich valleys OF
know ledge, and from is towers T. 9
sunlight that forever shines on the hill
of science.
No high walls separate the grounds
surrounding this beautiful and msgniti'
cent temple from the premises of private
schO Is.
The lib rality of the age In which we
live, and the spirit Of public education
are alike favorable to individual enter
urise. The fountain Of noWiedge 10
one From II flow many streams. 1t Is
the choice Of free people TO select the
+ rPam from which 10 Til theiT vessels.
The present condition Of education in
Ohio may Oe better understood from a
giauce at the fol owing table of ststis
J,cs taken from the 33i Ohio School Re-
port. just pubiished:
" In daily attendance. ........ .5l7, ,S44
" teachers necessary to supply the
schools. lS4oA
Estimated value OF public school proper
V...................... ..........'S2S 4oLOOo OU
Total expenditures for the year 1871 o97 a
Amount OF school money raised by local
taxation. n............... t............. H44O1o5 O4
Number of public school uses. ......,..,.... 12 70S
T0OInS. ......,..... lSSlUt
high school rooms. ........... 7lt
Of school officers. Ts...................... 52,19e
The average number Of weeks during
which the schools were in session eX.
cpeded 80, or twenty-five per cent more
than the minimum fixed by law. (See
section 4007 Of the Revised Statutes Oi
0hiO)
This occasion does not demand an ex
tended analysis or lengthy interpTeta
tion of statistical facts. / shall leaVe
the careful study Of the figures given
with you, COntentlng myself with q few
comparisons by way Of Illustration.
The number OF pupils enrolled In ouI
public schools at the present hour Il
three times the entire number of the
soldiers enrolled In the American army
In the War of the Revolution. No mill
tSTy force which has assembled under
one commander on this continent, ever
contained 80 great number as the
army of children that marched this
morning from their homes to the public
schools of Ohio. The largest army eVel
under WashingtOn's immediate com
mand, the army at Yorktown, did no
number as many as the army Of teachers
employed by our State. The value o.
our public school houses and & Ound
largely exceeds the total assessed Valua
tiOn Of all the real estate of + OTida il
1880, ard the amount which we Rnnu
ally eXpend on public education ie mOTt
than two third Of the sama with Whici
Jefferson purchased the vast Territory
Of Louisiana.
II all the school houses in Ohio Wer,
in single line with forty fee5 allowed
for each, that line would stretch from
Columbus to Baltimore; and If sll Oul
school officers and their f miles wsrt
to remove into one locality, it wOuC
make city larger than Montreal, Pitts
burg or Cleveland. SO much for com
mon school statistics.
In 1886 Ohio had thirty-seVen cole
ges, more than seventy academic and
preparatory schools. aud twenty insti
III ions devoted to law. edlclue, theOl
ORy and the fine arts In all these
schools more than eleven hundred
teachers and professors were employed
and the total enrolment of students
exceeded fourteen thousand. II 10 these
agencies for promoting Intelligence
among the ctZ ms Of our Safe, there
he considered the million books in pub
lie libraries and the four milton vol
nmes in UTiVate libraries. the thousands
Of nevsplpeTs that go into our homes
the II flUeOce Of the pnlpit, and the ed
nCation that comes from travel aud
business intercourse, sOWe conception
may be had Of what cur people are and
what they will be hereafter.
Surely there is good reason for q citi-
zan Of Ohio 20 be proud Of his noble
State. With Tennyson we can sing:
"Through the shadow Of the globe
We sweep into the younger day:
Better fifty years Of Europe-[OhiOl than cycle
of Cathay,"
Happy are we on this occasion to as-
slst in the dedication of such a splendid
buildinO to the cause ofsOund learning
May architect and bnildeT; may tax
payer and school cffi'er; may teacher
aud pupil alike rejoice; and may the
harvest of this sowing be- seen hereafter
IN The improved scboOls, the higher NOR
atty, the pureT patriotism and the wider
t hlence Of this community.